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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Invitation to a Bonfire in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Zoya is an orphan from Moscow who is now living in the United States. She is a student at the Donne School, but she has no family. So when school is over, what will her life become? When her favorite author becomes a teacher at the school, Zoya's life changes dramatically. They start an affair even though Zoya knows his wife from childhood. Strange twists happen toward the end, that I didn't suspect. The story is told from Zoya's journal entries during her life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.
None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.
3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book started off really slowly for me. I really didn't get much out of it at the beginning. The last 30% of the book, though really had me on the edge of my seat and ready to find out what this girl is all about. Zoya is really kind of a boring character. She goes to class and makes very few friends. When she graduates, she has no family to return home to, so she stays on at the Donne School and works in the greenhouse. There she encounters many students and few faculty members. The students constantly harass her and the faculty basically ignores her. All of that changes when she find out that, Lev Orlo is now a professor. She has been pining for this man through his books for years. Now that he is here, she can't tear herself away from him.
None of the characters were very likable in this book. Zoya is very boring, Lev is full of himself for no good reason, and his wife well she's a character we really don't get to know too well, but she is a strange bird.
3 stars for this one and the best part is at the end.
Merissa (12061 KP) rated The Devil is in the Details (Broken Halos #1) in Books
May 6, 2019
The Devil is in the Details (Broken Halos #1) by Maya Daniels
The Devil is in the Details is the first book in the Broken Halos series, and we meet Eric and Helena (Hel). At first glance, they appear to be on opposing sides, but not everything is as it seems. Eric is a Demon, whereas Hel is a Hunter. When Eric is approached by one of Helena's bosses, with a kill order and a special deal for the Demons, he wonders what is going on. None of that matters once he sees Hel though, and he will do ANYTHING to protect her.
This was a fast-paced, fun-filled, frolic of a book. I loved Hel's sassy attitude, and I thought her grief over her best friend was incredibly written. She admits she just wants to wake up, and owns her temper tantrums, apologising as necessary. Eric is the bad boy of the Demon world, and I loved him. There were two revelations about him, which shocked Hel both times. The first one I can understand, but the second? Surely if he is the first, the second is part of the same? (Trying so hard not to do spoilers here!!!)
This is an extremely well-written book that gives enough world-building for you to get to grips with their world, whilst still leaving more to come. This does end on a cliff-hanger, so fair warning. A thoroughly enjoyable first installment, and I can't wait for the second. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This was a fast-paced, fun-filled, frolic of a book. I loved Hel's sassy attitude, and I thought her grief over her best friend was incredibly written. She admits she just wants to wake up, and owns her temper tantrums, apologising as necessary. Eric is the bad boy of the Demon world, and I loved him. There were two revelations about him, which shocked Hel both times. The first one I can understand, but the second? Surely if he is the first, the second is part of the same? (Trying so hard not to do spoilers here!!!)
This is an extremely well-written book that gives enough world-building for you to get to grips with their world, whilst still leaving more to come. This does end on a cliff-hanger, so fair warning. A thoroughly enjoyable first installment, and I can't wait for the second. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
BTPBookclub (18 KP) rated Big Little Lies in Books
May 14, 2019
Throughally enjoyed it
Big Little Lies is a story about three different women who are each at a crossroad in their lives! Madeline (#1) remembers everything and forgives noone, when her ex husband and his new wife move into her community Madeline realizes her daughter will be in the same class as her ex husbands other daughter, and to top it all off Madeline’s daughter seems more interested in her dads and his new wife’s life than her mums. Celeste (#2) is a beautiful women and her twin boys will also be starting school, but Celeste has her eyes set on becoming the queen of the school parent body, but that comes at a price and not easily! Jane (#3) is a young single mother new to the town but is harboring secret doubts about her son. Madeline and Celeste take Jane under their wing, but none of them expected that Jane’s arrival will affect them all individually. If you want to find out what happens I would highly recommend you read this to find out for yourself, if you have not already!
I awarded five stars to this book as Liane Moriarty has done it again! She has written another outstanding story for all us readers to indulge in. This is the perfect book for those who enjoy contemporary, chick-lit, mystery and would make an excellent read to discuss if you are part of a book club. I really did enjoy this story, it is an easy to read, fast paced page turner perfect for everyone. I must admit this story did not stick with me afterwards but I devoured it and loved it nevertheless. Get stuck into this chick-lit, drama filled book and forget your own life for a while. Enjoy.
I awarded five stars to this book as Liane Moriarty has done it again! She has written another outstanding story for all us readers to indulge in. This is the perfect book for those who enjoy contemporary, chick-lit, mystery and would make an excellent read to discuss if you are part of a book club. I really did enjoy this story, it is an easy to read, fast paced page turner perfect for everyone. I must admit this story did not stick with me afterwards but I devoured it and loved it nevertheless. Get stuck into this chick-lit, drama filled book and forget your own life for a while. Enjoy.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) in Movies
May 17, 2019
Baba Yaga
#keanureeves #johnwick2 #johnwick When i got up out my seat after this had ended my heart was pounding and thats when i realised john wick 2 was something special. Its been a while since an action film has made me feel this excited, engaged and short of breath but this film nailed everything almost flawlessly. From the start this film oozes quality, every shot its perfect and has a gritty kind of beauty to it. Its filmed so well too with none of those stupid jump cuts action films today seem to shove in your face constantly to hide bad cgi or awful choreography, but in john wick 2 every fight, every trigger pull is framed so carefully and perfect that you see EVERYTHING thats going on in one clean swoop. The sound too is outstanding, you hear every cartridge hit the floor during gun fights and the roar of a cars engine you feel it in your chest and even the cinema floor was rumbling too. Id say this is way better than the fist one too as the director has clearly learnt more techniques/styles and take inspiration from older action films and stuntmen. I also can not wait to see this on #4k because the detail and destruction is nuts, mud, water, blood and glass is literally splashed everywhere. Blood fans will be happy also as this film is gratuitously violent (cough cough pencil scene). A definite must see film, its such an explosive rush from start to finish and its a lot smarter/fun and well made than your average action film. So excited for part 3. #film #review #action ##gore #blood #new #rubyrose #violent #style #odeonlimitless #odeon #cinema #2017
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated One Hour Photo (2002) in Movies
Feb 7, 2018
Original and Twitchy. Deserves to Be seen
Contains spoilers, click to show
I would normally expect to be able to happilyh re-watch any film I had given a '9' to but, in truth, it would probably be over-stating it to say that I could 'happily' watch this again. I almost certainly will, but as with such films as 'Seven' and 'Nil by Mouth' this is probably a once-a-decade film.
However it is so good it warrants a 9/10, so don't be put off.
Williams plays the seemingly-happy and very customer-friendly manager of a photo developing kiosk in a large store.
It quickly becomes obvious that he has developed an obsession with one family that use the service quite often, and that he is not as he appears to be.
None of this especially original, the originality comes from what the film-makers do with the situation from that point on.
Firstly, Williams' character is unusually symapthetic. Secondly, that sympathy remains for the duration of the film. As his odd behaviour moves up a level, and he begins to stalk the family, you find your self squriming in your seat at the prospect of him being caught. As the film progresses towards an end that you *know* can only be catastrophic for him and the family, you find you are still as concerned for the effect it will have on the Stalker as the Stalked.
The culmination of all this is perfectly in keeping with the film, which can't have been an easy trick to pull off, and at no time does it disappoint.
Williams,genius that he was, carries this role wonderfully. Rare proof that he was as exceptional an actor as he was funny-man.
You will squirm, twitch and quite possibly cry, but it will have been worth it.
However it is so good it warrants a 9/10, so don't be put off.
Williams plays the seemingly-happy and very customer-friendly manager of a photo developing kiosk in a large store.
It quickly becomes obvious that he has developed an obsession with one family that use the service quite often, and that he is not as he appears to be.
None of this especially original, the originality comes from what the film-makers do with the situation from that point on.
Firstly, Williams' character is unusually symapthetic. Secondly, that sympathy remains for the duration of the film. As his odd behaviour moves up a level, and he begins to stalk the family, you find your self squriming in your seat at the prospect of him being caught. As the film progresses towards an end that you *know* can only be catastrophic for him and the family, you find you are still as concerned for the effect it will have on the Stalker as the Stalked.
The culmination of all this is perfectly in keeping with the film, which can't have been an easy trick to pull off, and at no time does it disappoint.
Williams,genius that he was, carries this role wonderfully. Rare proof that he was as exceptional an actor as he was funny-man.
You will squirm, twitch and quite possibly cry, but it will have been worth it.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Somebody I Used to Know in Books
Feb 21, 2018
***NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
Nick Hansen is a recently divorced social worker living alone with his dog Riley. His ex-wife is sure that he never stopped loving his college girlfriend Marissa, who was killed in a college campus house fire 20 years earlier, and that's one of the reasons that they are no longer together. On his way home from work one evening, he sees a girl in the supermarket who looks so much like Marissa that he is compelled to speak to her. As soon as he asks about her family, she turns and runs from the store. The following day, police arrive on his doorstep to ask him if he knew a girl who has been found murdered at a local hotel. They show him a photo, and it is none other than the girl from he market. Even worse, she had his name and address on a slip of paper in her pocket when they found her.
Wanting both to clear his name and to lay to rest his suspicion that this could somehow be Marissa's daughter, even though she would have been born after Marissa died in the fire, he enlists the help of an old college friend to investigate the girl's death.
This was a great thriller! I had suspicions about some things (which I can't mention because I don't want to spoil anything!) early on, but only suspicions. The author keeps things moving at a good pace, and I felt as invested in Nick's investigation as he was.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery or thriller.
Nick Hansen is a recently divorced social worker living alone with his dog Riley. His ex-wife is sure that he never stopped loving his college girlfriend Marissa, who was killed in a college campus house fire 20 years earlier, and that's one of the reasons that they are no longer together. On his way home from work one evening, he sees a girl in the supermarket who looks so much like Marissa that he is compelled to speak to her. As soon as he asks about her family, she turns and runs from the store. The following day, police arrive on his doorstep to ask him if he knew a girl who has been found murdered at a local hotel. They show him a photo, and it is none other than the girl from he market. Even worse, she had his name and address on a slip of paper in her pocket when they found her.
Wanting both to clear his name and to lay to rest his suspicion that this could somehow be Marissa's daughter, even though she would have been born after Marissa died in the fire, he enlists the help of an old college friend to investigate the girl's death.
This was a great thriller! I had suspicions about some things (which I can't mention because I don't want to spoil anything!) early on, but only suspicions. The author keeps things moving at a good pace, and I felt as invested in Nick's investigation as he was.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery or thriller.
Louise (64 KP) rated Horrorstör in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I was super excited about reading this book, when I first read the synopsis of a haunted Ikea style superstore I was instantly intrigued and couldn’t wait to pick it up. I showed my friend the book and she too wanted to read this book on the synopsis alone. There is something quite thrilling about a superstore being haunted especially as I have an Ikea around the corner from where I live.
Lets talk about the design of this book first of all, when I picked it up it looked and felt just like a shopping catalogue,the book also had french flaps and on the inside of the cover there was a layout of the store and list of areas, such as kitchens, bedrooms, wardrobes etc etc. Every chapter had a product advertisement that become more and more sinister throughout the book.
This book was definitely intense and got very creepy and definitely scary in parts but I didn’t feel any connection with the characters, This could be that it was told from a third person perspective or that none of them had personalities.All of the characters were just boring. The reason why it was haunted was quite interesting and I really liked that aspect of the story. The ending, I think is a bit 50/50 you are either going to love it or hate it and I didn’t like it.When I finished this book there was one question on my mind WHY? This book is described as a parody/humor which I found wasn’t the case at all and I perhaps sniggered once.
Overall I enjoyed the book and loved the aesthetic side of it but it just didn’t blow me away. I recommend this for people who want a quick read with elements of horror.
I rated this 2.5 out of 5 stars
Lets talk about the design of this book first of all, when I picked it up it looked and felt just like a shopping catalogue,the book also had french flaps and on the inside of the cover there was a layout of the store and list of areas, such as kitchens, bedrooms, wardrobes etc etc. Every chapter had a product advertisement that become more and more sinister throughout the book.
This book was definitely intense and got very creepy and definitely scary in parts but I didn’t feel any connection with the characters, This could be that it was told from a third person perspective or that none of them had personalities.All of the characters were just boring. The reason why it was haunted was quite interesting and I really liked that aspect of the story. The ending, I think is a bit 50/50 you are either going to love it or hate it and I didn’t like it.When I finished this book there was one question on my mind WHY? This book is described as a parody/humor which I found wasn’t the case at all and I perhaps sniggered once.
Overall I enjoyed the book and loved the aesthetic side of it but it just didn’t blow me away. I recommend this for people who want a quick read with elements of horror.
I rated this 2.5 out of 5 stars
Ross (3284 KP) rated Justice League (2017) in Movies
Aug 7, 2018
A rushed DC version of Infinity Wars
This film just missed the mark on so many different aspects. It had high ambitions but just let itself down pretty much everywhere. It felt like a panicked, rushed answer to Infinity Wars, but without taking the time to embed the characters and storyline first. I thought with hits like The Flash and Arrow TV series the DC world may have been fighting back against Marvel's dominance, but I guess for every "Arrow" there is a "Legends of Tomorrow" cheese-fest.
The CGI is truly awful. Massive, expensive battle scenes looked clunky and dated. Steppenwolf is so badly animated as to be ludicrous, especially noticeable as he looks like one of Thanos' minions (I genuinely think you'd see better animated facial movements in mid-noughties PS games). And lets not overlook the dodgy attempt at using CGI to remove Henry Cavill's moustache (some scenes had to be re-shot after he had already started filming Mission Impossible and his moustache had to be removed by CGI!).
I had no feelings towards any of the characters. Whereas the new Spiderman was an immediate hit in Civil War, here The Flash is just annoying and his chirpy geekiness does not contrast well with Batfleck's grumpiness. Cyborg was totally redundant except to solve a plot point. And Aquaman did nothing of note and was not likeable at all.
This should have been a big-hitting blockbuster with edge-of-the-seat tension, laugh-out-loud banter and head-scratching plot twists (and any more hyphenated adjectives I can think of), instead it was a mediocre action film with none of the character of the DC universe on show.
The CGI is truly awful. Massive, expensive battle scenes looked clunky and dated. Steppenwolf is so badly animated as to be ludicrous, especially noticeable as he looks like one of Thanos' minions (I genuinely think you'd see better animated facial movements in mid-noughties PS games). And lets not overlook the dodgy attempt at using CGI to remove Henry Cavill's moustache (some scenes had to be re-shot after he had already started filming Mission Impossible and his moustache had to be removed by CGI!).
I had no feelings towards any of the characters. Whereas the new Spiderman was an immediate hit in Civil War, here The Flash is just annoying and his chirpy geekiness does not contrast well with Batfleck's grumpiness. Cyborg was totally redundant except to solve a plot point. And Aquaman did nothing of note and was not likeable at all.
This should have been a big-hitting blockbuster with edge-of-the-seat tension, laugh-out-loud banter and head-scratching plot twists (and any more hyphenated adjectives I can think of), instead it was a mediocre action film with none of the character of the DC universe on show.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated A Simple Favor in Books
Oct 9, 2018
Ridiculous, irritating and quite dull
This is one of the few books I’ve read after watching the film, and one where I think the film is actually better (if not by much!).
Firstly, the film and the book follow vaguely similar plots although with a few minor differences but a massively different ending. For me, the differences don’t really have much effect on my feelings towards the book, although I do think the book ending is terrible and whilst not as far fetched as the film ending, it is still completely implausible. The whole plot really is just a bit silly and doesn’t make much sense. The other major issue with this book is that all characters are completely unlikeable. Stephanie was irritating in the film but is even more so in the book, mainly because the writing style used in her blog posts is so basic, childish and annoying. Emily however was fairly charismatic in the film and likeable to a point, but in this none of her charm comes through. And Sean is entirely forgettable in the book and you don’t feel any emotions towards him whatsoever.
The biggest issue I had with this book is the use of the word “moms”. I apologise profusely to my fellow Smashbombers hailing from the USA, but I cannot stand the word “moms” - both in spelling and pronunciation. And not only is this word used a lot in this book, it is vastly overused to the point where it was making me cringe. I know that Stephanie as a character is meant to make you cringe, but for me this was just far too much to the point where I almost stopped reading. A book that makes you grind your teeth in frustration is not one I’d recommend reading.
Firstly, the film and the book follow vaguely similar plots although with a few minor differences but a massively different ending. For me, the differences don’t really have much effect on my feelings towards the book, although I do think the book ending is terrible and whilst not as far fetched as the film ending, it is still completely implausible. The whole plot really is just a bit silly and doesn’t make much sense. The other major issue with this book is that all characters are completely unlikeable. Stephanie was irritating in the film but is even more so in the book, mainly because the writing style used in her blog posts is so basic, childish and annoying. Emily however was fairly charismatic in the film and likeable to a point, but in this none of her charm comes through. And Sean is entirely forgettable in the book and you don’t feel any emotions towards him whatsoever.
The biggest issue I had with this book is the use of the word “moms”. I apologise profusely to my fellow Smashbombers hailing from the USA, but I cannot stand the word “moms” - both in spelling and pronunciation. And not only is this word used a lot in this book, it is vastly overused to the point where it was making me cringe. I know that Stephanie as a character is meant to make you cringe, but for me this was just far too much to the point where I almost stopped reading. A book that makes you grind your teeth in frustration is not one I’d recommend reading.
Cassie Osbourne (6 KP) rated An Officer and a Spy in Books
Nov 9, 2018
The Dreyfus Affair was one of the biggest miscarriages of justice that France (and possibly the world) has ever seen and this book presents the story through the eyes of Colonel Georges Picquart.
Towards the beginning, I was a little disappointed in the book. The writing style is brilliant and how faithful it is to actual events is great but in some ways, this is also its downfall. The conspiracy went on for years which makes the pacing very slow in parts and incredibly quick and exciting in others. All the characters in this book, even the tiny bit characters, were real people tied up in the affair; however, none of these characters has any real development until the very end and only for a short amount of time. As someone who favours character-driven story arcs rather than plot-driven ones, this was very frustrating for me to read as they all seemed to be very one dimensional (with the exception, perhaps, of Henry) and it doesn't really make any of them terribly likeable.
All that being said, I did very much enjoy the last two hundred or so pages where the pace really picked up and became exciting as everything seemed to come together rather than people sitting on files and information - but this is, of course, the nature of courtrooms and trials.
Although I probably won't read this book again, I am glad that I did as it introduced me to an interesting army conspiracy in France that I will definitely be doing more research in to.
Characters - 6/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Writing Style - 8/10
Plot - 7/10 (score majorly affected by pacing)
Intrigue - 6.5/10 (as above)
Logic - 10/10 (real events so difficult to score lower)
Enjoyment - 6.5/10 (again pacing and lack of character development)
Score average - 7.8/10
Towards the beginning, I was a little disappointed in the book. The writing style is brilliant and how faithful it is to actual events is great but in some ways, this is also its downfall. The conspiracy went on for years which makes the pacing very slow in parts and incredibly quick and exciting in others. All the characters in this book, even the tiny bit characters, were real people tied up in the affair; however, none of these characters has any real development until the very end and only for a short amount of time. As someone who favours character-driven story arcs rather than plot-driven ones, this was very frustrating for me to read as they all seemed to be very one dimensional (with the exception, perhaps, of Henry) and it doesn't really make any of them terribly likeable.
All that being said, I did very much enjoy the last two hundred or so pages where the pace really picked up and became exciting as everything seemed to come together rather than people sitting on files and information - but this is, of course, the nature of courtrooms and trials.
Although I probably won't read this book again, I am glad that I did as it introduced me to an interesting army conspiracy in France that I will definitely be doing more research in to.
Characters - 6/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Writing Style - 8/10
Plot - 7/10 (score majorly affected by pacing)
Intrigue - 6.5/10 (as above)
Logic - 10/10 (real events so difficult to score lower)
Enjoyment - 6.5/10 (again pacing and lack of character development)
Score average - 7.8/10